"Leader, the Minister is holding a meeting at 10 AM."
Just as he hesitated over whether to return to the courtyard, his secretary hurried over and whispered.
"Let's go." Xia Chenyang suppressed the shock and confusion in his heart, got into the car, and headed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
...
"Patriarch, we have a visitor. He seems quite important and is waiting in the central hall right now." Steward Li walked into the dining room and said.
"He's here for me." Xuanchen stood up and walked straight toward the central hall.
The three generations of the Xia family looked at each other, put down their bowls and chopsticks, and followed him to the central hall.
In the central hall, a middle-aged man holding a briefcase and wearing a solemn Zhongshan suit was sitting serenely on the sofa, sipping tea. He radiated a sharp, formidable aura that immediately marked him as someone extraordinary.
Hearing the commotion, Lu Mingde turned his head, his expression brightening with joy as he immediately stood up.
"Sir, you have finally come out of seclusion," he said respectfully, looking at Xuanchen.
"Mm, where are the things?" Xuanchen asked calmly, holding out his hand.
Lu Mingde quickly opened his briefcase, took out a file envelope, and handed it to him. "Sir, everything has been done according to your instructions. The age is twenty-five, and the registered place of origin is Kyoto."
Xuanchen opened the envelope and inspected its contents closely. There was a household register, an ID card, a driver's license, and other identification documents, along with a property deed.
Opening the property deed revealed a villa complex located inside the Second Ring Road of Kyoto.
Most importantly, there was also a Ministry of Security credential, which would make it very convenient for him to move about in the mortal world.
"You've put a lot of thought into this."
"Sir, you're too polite. It's just a small matter, only right."
How could he dare take credit for this? The entity standing before him was the most powerful cultivator in the entire world. If he wanted to, he could become the master of the nation at any moment.
"Take this and give it to the current Sovereign." Xuanchen extended his palm, and two ancient-looking books materialized in his hand.
Lu Mingde's eyes lit up. Since Sir had produced them, they were bound to be top-tier treasures. He reached out and accepted them with pleasant surprise.
"Alright, off you go. The heaven and earth have changed." After speaking, Xuanchen waved his hand to dismiss him.
"I understand, Sir."
A shock ran through Lu Mingde's heart; this was a signal. He nodded in greeting to Xia Xià Zhènguó, who had just walked over from nearby, and hastily transformed into a streak of light, departing.
Some lucky citizens of Kyoto only felt a blur before their eyes, as if a dark shadow had flashed past. When they looked up at the sky, however, they saw nothing at all.
Xia Xià Zhènguó stepped forward and asked with a puzzled expression, "Sir, was Director Lu here to see you?"
On the surface, Lu Mingde was merely a bureau director under the Ministry of Security, but any cultivator above the 8th Layer of Qi Condensation knew that he controlled the entire Huaxia cultivation world and was a high-ranking official at the very center of power! (The legendary Bureau Seven...)
Under his command was a formidable force dedicated to keeping cultivators in check. Any cultivator who dared to touch the red line, once discovered, would be ruthlessly suppressed!
"Indeed, I had him get me some identification documents. Old Xia, stop calling me Sir, take a good look—I am only twenty-five years old now." Xuanchen shook the ID card in his hand.
Xia Xià Zhènguó: "..."
"An old ox pretending to be tender grass, you really have thick skin." Xia Yueyou rolled her eyes with charming disdain.
"Little You'er, I'm going to be an old ox grazing on tender grass from now on. Come, accompany me out to stroll around Kyoto."
Xuanchen paid her teasing no mind, reached out to take her hand, and began walking outside.
"Wait, I'm going to change my clothes. And you—dressing like that is too flashy, you need to change too."
Xia Yueyou struggled to pull her hand free and walked toward her bedroom.
Although she had other residences, she had basically grown up in this old ancestral home, so she naturally had plenty of clothes here. Furthermore, none of them had brand labels; they were purely handmade, stitched stitch by stitch by renowned masters.
"Why are you following me in here while I change clothes? Get out."
Her face flushed red as she pushed the man who had followed her through the bedroom door back outside. This man had skin too thick; she couldn't beat him in a fight and couldn't win against him in an argument, leaving her feeling utterly helpless.
"Little You'er, let's change clothes together. What are you shy about?"
Xuanchen wore a cheeky smile. Of course a mere door couldn't stop him, but he wasn't that sleazy yet.
"Clang!"
"Hahaha..."
Outside the door, Xuanchen gave his body a shake, and in an instant, the handsome youth in ancient attire transformed into a dashing urban gentleman wearing a casual shirt and wide-leg trousers.
A shock of layered hair fluttered gently in the breeze. Beneath thick, dark eyebrows were a pair of deep eyes, tranquil and mysterious, as if they could never be stirred by ripples.
Beneath a prominent nose, his thin lips were slightly pursed, looking supremely alluring.
His exquisite features, matched with his slender 1.85-meter stature, gave off an aura of noble detachment, resembling an immortal wandering through the mortal realm.
When Xia Yueyou opened her bedroom door—having changed into a light cyan long-sleeved slip dress—and saw him looking like this, her heart gave a fierce jolt, and a nameless sentiment she didn't yet understand quietly spread within her.
A smile flashed in Xuanchen's eyes. *You'er,* he thought, *I want to see just how long you can hold out.*
He naturally took her hand and walked toward the courtyard gate, running into Xia Xià Zhènguó along the way.
"Old Xia, I'm taking your granddaughter away. No need to worry."
"Have fun in Kyoto, Sir."
What could he say? His granddaughter was already following him obediently.
Staring at the hand he was holding, Xia Yueyou's mind raced with a thousand thoughts, yet she felt no sense of aversion whatsoever.
Stepping out of the courtyard gate led into a relatively spacious narrow alley.
A few old men dressed in ordinary clothes sat in groups of two or three playing chess under a tree, while the twittering of birds echoed in the ears—a rare pocket of tranquility amidst the bustling downtown city.
"I said I was going to buy you a phone, let's go." She led him over to the Guoya sedan.
"You'er, I'll drive." Xuanchen volunteered eagerly, pulling open the driver's side door.
"Can you drive?" Her face was full of suspicion.
"You'er, you must never doubt my skills. Just sit safely in the passenger seat." Xuanchen opened the passenger door and pressed her down into the seat.
He then leaned over, coming close to her with an ambiguous posture to fasten her seatbelt, his warm breath wafting against the crook of her neck.
She felt her heart practically stop beating, tense to the absolute limit.
Xuanchen chuckled inwardly, moved over to the driver's seat, started the car, and drove toward the bustling downtown area outside.
Xia Yueyou entered her destination into the car's navigation system—a large shopping mall.
The traffic in Kyoto was truly terrible; a drive of just a few kilometers took a solid half-hour before they finally reached the mall's underground parking garage.
The two got out of the car and walked toward the elevator.
"You'er, hold my hand."
"I won't. You're not a child." She shook her head in refusal. The two of them weren't in any special relationship yet, so how could she possibly take the initiative to hold his hand?
Yet Xuanchen seemed determined to press the issue. His eyes narrowed slightly as he said softly, "You'er, do you want a top-tier Cultivation Formula? Do you want to grow stronger?"
"Right now, all you have to do is hold my hand, and you can get these things that others wouldn't even dare to dream of."
Xia Yueyou raised her head and looked at him seriously. "Xuanchen, what exactly are you after from me? I know the man from this morning. Even someone like him is so cautious in front of you—is there anything in this world you can't get?"
Seeing her looking so serious, Xuanchen also put away his smile and leaned forward slightly, resting both hands on her shoulders.
He said earnestly, "You'er, some things are better not known too early. When the time comes, you will understand everything."
"All I can tell you now is that I was waiting for you, and you came into being for me."